During the second meeting held since the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) suspended its two-day warning strike two weeks ago, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, voiced his concerns about the detrimental effects of past industrial actions on the nation’s economy.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This meeting, which took place in Abuja on Monday, September 18, 2023, aimed to prevent organized labor from embarking on another industrial action. Minister Lalong pledged his commitment to collaborating with labor to address their demands in a fair and equitable manner, urging labor leaders to engage in realistic and candid discussions. He remained optimistic that the meeting would result in a resolution beneficial to the nation.
In response, NLC President Joe Ajaero expressed mixed feelings about the meeting’s outcome, given that previous similar meetings had failed to yield positive results. He noted that past strikes, referred to by the minister, were driven by the frustration of Nigerian workers due to hardships resulting from the removal of fuel subsidies. Ajaero also highlighted that none of the agreements with the federal government had been addressed despite numerous prior meetings.
Additionally, he strongly condemned the invasion of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) office, which led to the arrest and detention of some of its leaders. According to Ajaero, this incident alone provided sufficient reason for the NLC to proceed with their planned strike.
